OBD2 car diagnostic for Aygo 2016

[Pytheas]

Hi to all,

I am in the search for an OBD II car diagnostic tool / adapter (I am not sure about its exact title). I have seen plenty of them available in Greece (where I live), most of them connect to the smartphone via bluetooth, others via WiFi etc. I plan to connect my Android 6.1 smartphone through an app like Torque and monitor various aspects of the engine (I am a data freak!).

I understand that the common standard would be the ELM327 V2.1 OBD2 but I would like to hear from you, if anyone has actually tried any of them with an Aygo 2016, so that I can select a compatible (and actually working) one. I read some stuff about adapters that are not working so I would like to avoid such.

Thanks in advance for your feedback :-)

[Agent Orange]

Hi Vassilis,

I use an OBD2 adaptor and the Torque app every day in my Mark 1 Aygo Fire and I love it!

I wanted the Torque app as the Aygo does not have a Coolant Temperature guage and so firstly, I tried the free app (Torque Lite) and liked it so much that I spent just over £3.00 (Probably about 4 Euros) on the Torque Pro app.  Torque pro does not have any adverts at the bottom of the screen, so there is more room for dials and it also has many more guages/readouts to choose from, for instance it has the ability to reverse the display to project a "Heads up display".

The guages that I have include a Voltmeter, Fuel guage (More accurate than the Aygo fuel block type readout), Distance until empty, Digital Speedometer, MPG (you could set this for Litres per KM) and, of course the coolant temperature.  There are many more guages to choose such as a revcounter, 0-60 time, Clock etc., I have not bothered with them but if you have seen a "Scanguage" which sells for abot £100.00, the Torque app does everything and more that that does...And you do not have to wire it in as it works off bluetooth.

I have the app on an old Samsung smartphone, with a very old version of Android on it (Gingerbread, I think) and it works fine without a Sim card installed, so it is like a mini tablet.  The phone was stuck in a drawer at home, not being used and now it is a dedicated guage for the car.  You can use the Torque app on your everyday phone as it runs very smoothly, does not drain the Battery too quickly and the phone does not get hot.  I get about 4 hours on the old Samsung without having to plug it into the car charger, so it is enough for everyday use, but on a longer run I have the phone plugged in.

If you buy the Torque Pro app you can download "Skins" for the dials, I have the surrounds in Orange which perfectly match the Speedo/Revcounter/airvent surrounds in my Aygo and you can also download (for free) the "Torque Dashboard" which will overlay your Torque dials onto any other app, for instance you could download "Sygic" for SatNav and overlay a couple of guages onto that......It sounds a bit baffling but it works.

I have my Samsung phone/Torque app down in the space behind the gear lever and because of the clear display, a quick glance is all I need to see the information I need, so it is not distracting but you could mount it higher up if you wanted the SatNav or Heads up Display idea.

The OBD2 adaptor that I bought works perfectly with the Torque app and I would recommend it, is this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004KL0I9I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It is bluetooth (Torque only works on Bluetooth) and plugs into the OBD port near where the steering column meets the bottom of the dashboard and as it is a bit longer than the other popular sort of transmitter, like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-LESHP-Diagnostic-Interface-Smartphones/dp/B01MATI937/ref=sr_1_5?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1495009073&sr=1-5&keywords=obd2+bluetooth

It is easy to pull out of the socket, if you do not use it every day. As for the app, you have to calibrate it for your car (Weight, engine size etc in the "Profile") and on a 4 inch phone I get 2 dials per page, other guages are a quick swipe to the left or right.

As I say, Vassilis, I love the app and the use of the OBD2 adaptor as it has given me what I want, the fact that the app also looks really good is a bonus.

Sorry for the long post and I hope that you are feeling better after your operation. 

Take care and all the best.....Kali tixi! 

[Pytheas]

Hi Neil,

Thank you so much for taking the time to elaborate on this; your post is full of useful information and I will keep it as a reference for setting things up. Yes, I plan to purchase the full version of the Torque app (the Pro version); I decided to do so after reading another useful post (could have been yours as well) about its usefulness. 

Thanks for the suggestions on the OBD II adaptors, too. Even though I have not seen the first one around, I may get my hands on the second one (the blue) which seems to be really popular in Greek e-shops (for a bit more than 15 EUR). In the end, I may as well order the first one from Amazon but I would like to avoid the delivery times (which may be awful for Greece; the postal service has collapsed!).

I'll keep you posted on any updated

P.S. I have almost fully recovered from the operation, thanks a lot :-)

[Agent Orange]

Hi Vassilis,

I am glad to hear that you are "On the mend" and you will be fine with the Blue OBD2 adaptor.....although 15 Euros is a bit more than we pay in the UK for them.  Just be sure that you buy a bluetooth adaptor if you want to use the Torque app as it will not work with the Wi-Fi versions.

As you say that you are a "Data Freak", it might be of interest for you to know that a 6 inch Kindle Fire tablet fits really well into that space behind the gear lever (A 7 inch tablet is too long) and you can get more dials on it....It would give you the Centre Instrument cluster effect that you see in American muscle cars. 

Ta Leme. 

 

 

[Pytheas]

Thanks for the suggestion Neil. I will see how it goes and if all goes well I will consider the option for a 6-inch tablet, too. I am more into data logging and analysis than visualization so I mostly concerned about the accuracy of the readings. For the time being, I was thinking to use my spare Galaxy A3 and use the screen-mirroring option to display a couple of gauges on the head unit screen, with the option to swipe between different ones.

Since I got no recommendations about the OBDII adapter other than yours, I will try to get one of them in the next days, test it with the free version of Torque and if pairing is successful, I will go for the Pro version to get the full monty :-)

Ta leme!

[Agent Orange]

Hi Vassilis,

If you are into data logging then the torque app does all of that as a standard feature, in fact you have to turn it off if you don't want to do it. It sounds like you are going to do exactly what I did and that is to try the free version first and I think that is very wise....As much as I like it, the app might not be for everybody.

As far as accuracy goes, all I can say is that the only readouts that I can compare are the revcounter, which matches the revcounter in the Aygo perfectly and the Speedometer which reads exactly the same as my Garmin SatNav (Usually 2-3 MPH under the Aygo Speedo).  If you use the GPS function it finds you quickly and accurately and I know from experience that the fuel readings are spot on and more accurate than the Aygo fuel gauge.

Whether you use the free version (Less functions and a few adverts at the bottom of the screen) or the paid-for version, you can install them both on anything (You only pay once for the app and can download it again onto other devices for no charge) and you can also diagnose faults on your car with it.

Either of the two OBD2 transmitters will work (As I said before, double check that you are getting the bluetooth one) and it is personal choice.....Or maybe in your case, ease and swiftness of delivery. (Sorry to hear about the Greek Postal Service!  )

As far as using your old Galaxy phone is concerned, I think that is a perfect idea and similar to what I have done but I can't help you with the screen-mirroring aspect as my Aygo doesn't have one.  There has been problems with screen-mirroring in another thread but from your posts on that, you seem to know what you are doing, so you don't need my help anyway. 

See how you get on with the OBD2 and the Torque app and if you do need any help, just ask!

Ta Leme 

[Pytheas]

Well, I just got my hands on a Mini bluetooth OBDII adapter, like this one and I found the time to set it up (connected my Android smartphone and tested the connection with the Torque app - free version; both seemed to work fine). I now plan to set up the gauges in the app's different screens and test them tomorrow while commuting to work.

I noticed that there was a red led light on after I plugged it in the OBDII port of the car, while the ignition was off, so I was wondering if the OBDII bluetooth adapter draws current from the Battery while it is connected. Do I have to unplug it when I do not use it (e.g. when I park the car)? Apparently I would like to leave it plugged in all the time, but discharging the car's Battery is something that I would like to avoid.

[Agent Orange]

Hi Vassilis,

If you use your car every day, just leave it plugged in as the electrical drain on the Battery, caused by the OBD2 Adaptor is miniscule.  If I am not using the car for a couple of weeks, for instance, when I go on holiday, only then will I unplug it.  I have been using it like that for a good while and have never had a flat Battery.

Have fun with all the gauges and settings, Vassilis and don't forget to set up your "Profile" for your car (Weight, Fuel Capacity, engine size etc.) so that you will get the most accurate readings possible.....You will notice that the Fuel level is on a slider in the profile and when you next fill up with petrol, don't forget to go into that and slide it to 100%.

You will soon get used to it and I hope that you like it as much as I do.

All the best! 

[mickburkesnr]

Just an FYI, when I bought my 107 in to the garage to get MOT'd he commented on how I had changed the whole exhaust system recently. I told him I had an engine light come on, so changed the catalytic converter (as it was a cheap no-name 3rd party P.O.S), front pipe and oxygen sensor (as I stuck a hole in the pipe removing the back box and couldn't unscrew the old O2 sensor) and back box. 

He then asked how I got rid of the light, told him I bought the bluetooth OBD-II thing and used the app on my phone. He told me that the day before a customer came in with a car that wouldn't start but every light in the car was flashing. Turned out he bought a wired OBD-II kit from Argos and he was messing about with it, ended up flashing the entire ECU blank.

But I think with the bluetooth ones, and the apps available, as long as they're used for reading and not trying to chip or tune the car you should be grand.

[Pytheas]

Hi @mickburkesnr, thanks for the tip. Indeed, I am pretty careful with that and I only use it for data logging and visualization (not for error fixing or messing up with the ECU of the car). As long as the car is under warranty, I do not plan to do any DIY service.

In the meantime, I found some time to test the OBDII readings and see how they would seem on the car's head unit (through Mirrorlink)  :-)

I started with Torque (free) and also tested some alternative ones; most of them would not provide the set of values offered by Torque so I plan to give them a 2nd try and then go back to Torque. However, I have the feeling that Torque's fuel consumption readings might be a tad higher than the ones shown by the car dashboard and confirmed by actual fuel consumption between gas fill-ups. At the same time, other apps provided really accurate readings (e.g. regarding fuel consumption) so I will keep checking them, too.

Seems like a long way to go until I finalize my set up but it seems to worth it. :-) 

[Agent Orange]

Hi Vassilis,

I totally agree with Michael on this, Torque is fine for reading engine info (On the gauges), for data logging and for reading fault codes.....That is it!  I would never start tinkering as I don't know enough about engine management systems, so leave that to the people that do.....They are called Trained Mechanics!

As for your fuel consumption figures, I have to admit that I forgot to warn you about them, sorry about that but it's an easy fix.

Go into your "Profile" (Start page/Cog in bottom left) and press "Edit"...Towards the bottom of the page that comes up is a box for "MPG "Trim"".  On yours I guess it will be Litres/KM "Trim" or KPL "Trim"....I have increased mine to a figure of 1.6 and it is now pretty accurate.

I hope that helps....By the way, The Torque app looks very good when you mirror link it to your screen, Vassilis...Nice job, Sir!   If you do go for the "Pro" version, that black line at the bottom of the screen, above the menu bar (Where adverts can appear) will not be there.

It is looking good though and I hope that you are having fun with it.

All the best!